An interesting read. Enjoyable and quick. I will keep an eye out for Liss. ( )

Both of these stories were interesting and out of the mainstream. I wish Paleo had been a little bit longer, as it seemed to come to a rapid conclusion. It kept my attention and was an enjoyable short read. The Doomsday Prepper was a little better fleshed out. I was more into this story. It was an interesting look into the prepper world. Both books are about people who have terrible lives, and are looking to grab power. While not in my normal genres of reading, this book was ok. While not great, It was a good quick read. A little escape from reality. ( )

Paleo, as everyone has pointed out, is about a middle-aged man who meets a strange neighbor and joins his "religion." But, he seems to have drawn the focus of power to himself somehow, and instead of using it for good, he uses it to manipulate and met out his own forms of revenge. I thought it was a nice little story and I would've actually liked to have seen this one a longer book all its own. I think it had great potential to be something bigger and deeper.

The prepper story was also interesting as there are really people out there like this. Right this minute. And I find that just totally insane. So the story, to me was like literally going down the rabbit hole. I'm not saying it doesn't hurt to have some things stocked up in case of an emergency (thinking weather here) but the end of the world preppers, they creep me the hell out.

Both stories had the link of showing what a little power can do to someone who has always felt powerless. Instead of rising to be a better person and champion, they tend to lower themselves to the level of their worst tormentor. ( )

Paleo and The Doomsday Prepper are two novellas that kind of left me wanting more. In Paleo, Pete, a middle-aged home inspector going nowhere, swigging beer, is overweight, and gets no respect from his wife; confronts a new neighbor that has not cut his lawn since moving in months ago. William "The Douche" is everything Pete is not -- handsome, successful, confident. And a jerk. William sends Pete scurrying off with his tail between his legs. Pete comes back later, sneaks into the backyard, and finds something...disturbing. The next day, fortified with beer, Pete stalks The Douche to his downtown office and confronts him in front of a gorgeous woman. The response is unexpected -- William actually seemed impressed with Pete, and invites him over to his house to meet some people late that night. These people turn out to all be adherents to the "Paleo" diet, where they endeavor to eat and practice rituals of our cavemen ancestors.

Accepted by the group even though he is dubious when it comes to giving up things like beer, he nevertheless begins to see instant benefits. Clients start calling again. Women treat him better. He's got the "it" factor. It turns out none of the group understands exactly what this is, they all have seen the benefit, but Pete seems to be getting more than his share, and at their expense. And then things turn bad, but the story ends too soon.

In The Doomsday Prepper, Eric Estrada (not THE Eric Estrada, but he profits from the name regardless) is part of a Texas group of doomsday preppers. The group meets regularly, mostly to brag about steps they've taken to ensure survival when the apocalypse comes. And it is coming...fissures are opening in suburban lawns, lava and gas is leaking out. Most people seem to ignore it, and Eric's own wife is disgusted by his activities after a false alarm a few years earlier. Well, the earthquakes start and it happens...civilization goes to hell.

One small problem. Just before the earthquakes hit, the leader of his prepper group blows up Eric's shelter in revenge for Eric killing his dog after the dog bit Eric's daughter in the face. Eric's wife, first repentant towards Eric's crazy prepping, is grateful...until she discovers the preparations are all gone. What follows is a pretty straight forward end-of-the-world tale of rival factions consolidating power as artifacts from the old civilization are scavenged and a new, more primitive world order takes place. ( )

Two, Two...Two books in one! And both are highly outstanding books! Each with a man at the end of his rope. Life has dealt him down a path that took a wrong turn somehow. PALEO - David Liss, has Pete trying to figure out what he has to do to get what others have. He discovers it by going Paleo...in more ways than just the diet. In THE DOOMSDAY PREPPER - Eileen Curtright, Eric has been prepping for the end of days for as long as he can remember, but it never seems to go the way he planned. Especially now when it is actually occurring.
I am not sure which one is my favorite, both rocked the story, characters, premise, turn-page-faster, stay-up-a-little-later-to-read-a-little-more-it's-what-time?! Fast moving and engaging, cringingly involving. Definite recommend. ( )